In the Transformation Challenge, we challenged you to create a whole new you! See which 25 transformational artists have moved on toward a chance to win a trip to Honolulu, New York, or Los Angeles to collaborate with a featured artist. Congratulations to our semi-finalists!

yes unfortunately even thecompetition in Official Rules ignoredby thejudges!!It's really strange!!for example;*Entrants may enter as many Works as they like however duplicate entries are not allowed.*must use either self-portraits or an original character to illustrate the progression in the three panels as required by the Contest challenge;*Effective Presentation of the Progression into a Radically Different Person or Thing;*may not use any watermarks but may contain a signature by the artist provided that the signature is capable of removal at the request of Sponsor;

Again, thats not supposed to be happening. That's the websites server screwing up. If you want this issue resolved then contact the help desk so they can fix it. Getting mad and raging about it won't resolve the issue.

^wall of textduuuuuude shut the fuck up you sound like a whiny little childit is a *contest* and as such, someone must *win*sure, we can pretend that the laws of aesthetics are totally subjective (they aren't), that the amount of effort that goes into a piece is all that really matters (it's not), and that we're all perfectly unique little snowflakes (big surprise: we're not)but say that all of those fantasies were reality and that the prizes were divided equally amongst the entrants, each of us would receive: less than $2, a small chunk of plastic, metal, or glass, broken off of a surface pro, a bus ride for 1 block, and a 5 second billboard takeover

congratulations, you've invented the world's least appealing contestthe fact is that, despite mislead popular misconception, there are rules to art, abstract as they may be, and the objective, inherent value of a piece is indeed measurablemore importantly, this contest involved creating a work for a client (microsoft) and that client has every right to choose the pieces that appeal most to them, or that would best convey their desired image and messagewhen it comes down to it, what the client wants is all that matters, especially when they're the ones shelling out several grand in exchange for a few drawings

now to be fair, if this contest were judged by deviantArt popularity, we would have a problem, because most dA users are sheltered idiots who only want what they like and have no idea what art is, resulting in an extremely restrictive contest in which the finals would be populated entirely by mediocre pseudo-anime furry bullshit

but that's not the case... the judges were impartial outsiders so no one can try and pull any 'unfair' cards.

You've clearly put me in my place. I can also see that you have far more experience in these matters than have I and have perhaps been a judge yourself and know all about the employment ins and outs of illiciting a marketing campaign of this magnitude. You've further offered a very concise explanation of all the facts in this matter and there is no other room for any other view, real or contrived.

I shall of course bow to your unbridled knowledge and obvious understanding, and humbly retreat myself from this or any further posting, as per your request.

Read your own comment above. ...Perhaps when you tell someone they're taking something too seriously that they obviously do take seriously...

As for my tone... Imagine you're in a happy place. With rainbows and unicorns... Then, the settling voice of Morgan Freeman comes upon you as from inside, gently offering these words as they shiver out from the warmth of heart felt wishes.

I do realize that sometimes tone is lost in writing all too brief comments on a message board. My first comment was not an angry diatribe. Just an Exasperation of some of my objections to the industry as I've experienced it. From my own career... I too won such a contest. 20 years ago, true. But it enabled much of my early career and actually payed for my education in film animation. Years later when I was approached to mediate such a contest myself, I found the perimeters for making my conclusions to be vague to say the least. You're right... This may not be that, and my personal experience may be negated by something that I don't know about.

Sometimes, these contests set some up for abject failure, while launching others into the stratosphere. Sample #4 for example is brilliant. Some might find the subject distasteful, over say #1. I don't think that should in any way should negate his chances because an unknown judge got a creepy feeling about scary apples. That has not been made clear in these rules...

I've been in the Spectrum collections. The thing I love about those is that you actually get to see who will be making the calls and tailor your work thusly. Here? Perhaps a Software Exec from Microsoft... Who really knows?

My contest was sponsored by Sonic Restaurants and Apple Computers. There wasn't an artist on the judging. I do sometimes wonder who decided my status should be elevated over another's.